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What benefits have you/your team found to employing an apprentice & how do they help build your business?

Employing apprentices has certainly helped us improve, introducing a broader range of skills for the company. It encourages us to analyse the way in which our business operates, helping us to identify strengths and weaknesses we may not traditionally identify in our normal day-to-day operation. The scheme not only helps with knowledge and skill transfer, it also assists in the development of existing employees who need to adapt in sharing their experiences more openly. As such, the scheme benefits both the apprentice and Cutting Edge Services.

Apprentices often have a fresh approach, with new ideas and solutions, helping us to lay the foundations for new initiatives which help build the business and move forward. Our ‘Employee Voice’ group encourages the younger member of our team to share a forum on how the culture can also evolve. Apprentices form part of this vitally important group. The success of our Apprentice Schemes significantly contributed towards Cutting Edge Service winning the Runshaw College 2019 ‘Employee of the Year’ award – a fitting tribute to the time and effort we devote to our scheme.

What key skills and knowledge do your apprentices gain to help them build a rewarding career?

Key skills start at the beginning. Good timekeeping, great communication skills and enthusiasm. We try and make the apprenticeship as varied as possible at the start by covering all basic engineering skills and knowledge. This allows us to then work together to identify the key aspect of engineering they enjoy and would like to pursue in more detail. From mechanical, electrical, design to robotic engineering, we play a part in building this interest so they can accomplish a rewarding career with an area of engineering they are most suited to.

What would you say to anyone considering an Apprenticeship in your sector?

Do It! Apprentices bring a fresh approach along with the use of new solutions and modern technology.  We have taken apprentices on into full term employment and continue to use an apprenticeship scheme year after year. With the required training delivered throughout their apprentices, these individuals are ready to go on the ‘front line’ upon successful completion.

Can you sum up in a sentence what the best thing about Apprenticeships are?

Apprenticeships can bring a fresh and innovative approach to any business, as well as aiding individuals towards recognised qualifications and strong experiences to help enhance their career.

What benefits have you/your team found to employing an apprentice & how do they help build your business?

They help improve productivity and efficiencies. Our experienced staff delegate work down allowing more time to concentrate on other core responsibilities. Cost effective training ensuring they adapt the specific skills required by our firm. We teach them our way right from day one. Employer brand – we are a forward-thinking organisation investing in the young generation, which is deemed attractive to new apprentices. Introducing apprentices to the workplace, has changed the dynamics of the team as they bring different insights and new ways of thinking/working which has revitalised the whole team.

What key skills and knowledge do your apprentices gain to help them build a rewarding career?

At our firm they gain a lot of major skills required for a great career: Communication skills – gained with both colleagues and clients. Teamwork – They learn to work as part of a team reporting to managers effectively. Organisation/time management – working to monthly deadlines helps with this. Problem solving and self-reliance skills. Numeracy skills Professionalism

What would you say to anyone considering an Apprenticeship in your sector?

We would highly recommend accountancy firms taking on apprentices. These young adults are the future of accountants. Once trained with the skills required, they become great assets of the firm. They bring fresh perspectives and new skills.

What benefits have you/your team found to employing an apprentice & how do they help build your business?

Career development for staff, gaining valuable and up to date information, knowledge and skills to enhance their role. Promotes best practice and highly skilled and motivated staff in the business. The skilled staff can train other staff and share their knowledge and skills. Families and clients have confidence in the workforce, they value the business and feel the business invests in the staff, to aim for thew provision of a high quality service Highly skilled and trained staff adheres to meeting quality standards, CQC regulations.

What key skills and knowledge do your apprentices gain to help them build a rewarding career?

Promotes the value of excellent communication skills at all levels, multi- agency in health and social care. Appreciate the value of person- centred care, being able to adapt to meet individual health and social care needs. Gain a plethora of information and skills in caring for individuals in their own homes, the family dynamics, practical skills as; moving and handling techniques, Infection prevention and control, personal care, basic first aid awareness, dementia care. The staff member can then choose a specialist area they are interested in and enhance the role of the champion or lead.

What would you say to anyone considering an Apprenticeship in your sector?

Apprenticeships are Highly promoted and supported by mentors and senior staff / management support, who share lots of expertise, skills, knowledge and information. Apprenticeships benefit all, the business to have highly trained and skilled staff, individual continuous learning journey, lots of opportunities to develop if you want to, to meet your career goals and aspirations. Developing business, lots opportunities for the future, lead areas, trainers, seniors, management, administration roles.

What benefits have you/your team found to employing an apprentice & how do they help build your business?

Meg was brought in as the first employee to our small recruitment consultancy business to help with administration and marketing tasks.  Over a period of 4 months Meg has been able to get fully up to speed on many aspects of these tasks to a point where she is self-sufficient in all the areas she works on now.  As a small business it has meant that she has done tasks we used to de-prioritise (even though they are vital to growing our business) which means our marketing (And hence pipeline business) and our candidate CRM database has improved significantly.

What key skills and knowledge do your apprentices gain to help them build a rewarding career?

Meg has learnt about the various marketing channels we use (Email shots, LinkedIn and Twitter posts), she has learnt how to navigate our CRM system (Bullhorn) and is now starting to manage the administration (From advertising to fielding questions to booking and invoicing) of our Microsoft Excel training courses. Meg is also learning about the financial side of a small business and how we operate and manage the businesses finances.  Meg also attended and passed our Microsoft Excel Training course. Meg also has a good grasp of recruitment business and how we operate.

What would you say to anyone considering an Apprenticeship in your sector?

I would thoroughly recommend getting an apprentice, if you get the right one (Like we have) you will reap the rewards of the extra resource.

Can you sum up in a sentence what the best thing about Apprenticeships are?

If you get the right role as an apprentice, I feel that you can learn a lot more from the practical experience that an apprenticeship gives you than if you were full time at college in lessons/lectures.